Franklin County Residents Warned of Multi-State Scam

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The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is alerting residents about an online scam involving the use of rural Franklin County addresses to advertise attractive deals on boats, pickup trucks, tractors, skid loaders, and trailers. The listings have appeared on platforms like Equipment Trader, Boat Trader, and Facebook Marketplace, directing buyers to professional-looking cloned websites that appear legitimate. At least ten victims across several states, including Texas, Montana, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Florida, have reported losing money to the scheme.

Why it matters

This scam highlights the growing problem of fraudsters exploiting rural communities and online marketplaces to target unsuspecting buyers. The use of real local addresses to build trust and the sophisticated cloned websites make these types of scams particularly difficult for consumers to detect.

The details

According to Sheriff Aaron Dodd, the scammers are providing convincing inspection reports and using real Franklin County addresses to lend credibility to their fraudulent listings. In one case, a victim transferred more than $20,000 to the fictitious seller. The Sheriff's Office has received at least ten calls from concerned buyers across several states who either were verifying the business or had already sent money.

• The Franklin County Sheriff's Office issued the warning on February 26, 2026.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Sheriff's Office is urging residents to verify sellers independently, avoid wiring money, and contact local law enforcement before completing high-dollar online purchases.